Sarah Holland
A Chef with Hoosier Flare, Respect for Tradition, and a Love of Community
Sarah’s specialty...Hoosier food! A life-long Hoosier herself, Sarah appreciates the combination of Hoosier cuisine and quality, local ingredients. Chef Holland is known for adding Hoosier Flare to all of her dishes!
Her professional career began assisting her mother with hearthside dinners at a small farmhouse museum in Cambridge City, Indiana. The experience of learning alongside her mother led her to earn a degree in Culinary Arts through the Art Institute of Indianapolis and her career as an executive chef at well-known, northside restaurants with 20+ years of culinary experience.
Chef Holland appreciates the tradition of historical Hoosier and family recipes. Sarah has a soft spot for baking, especially Indiana Sugar Cream Pie! “This dish is one of my favorites because every family in Indiana seems to have their own variation of the recipe.” Sarah’s favorite recipe for Indiana Sugar Cream Pie? It’s her mom’s recipe of course! “It's all about the nutmeg. Additionally, my mom’s recipe is super creamy and not overly sweet and the crust is perfect! After asking her for her recipe for what seemed like the hundredth time, my mom made the joke that I should ‘just get it tattooed on my arm so I won't forget’. So I did. She was mortified!”
Growing up in a small, Indiana town, Sarah appreciates the connection of a close-knit community. For Sarah, whether she was enjoying a meal around her family table as a child or leading the kitchen as the executive chef she honors the love, skill, time, and tradition that make the meal delicious. It is not uncommon to find Sarah chatting with guests, listening to their stories and memories conjured up with an aroma or taste. “In the kitchen, our success is in the camaraderie, trust, and effort put forth by our team. There is nothing like wrapping up a very busy night, knowing that we succeed TOGETHER in delivering enjoyable dining experiences for our guests. What a great feeling!” Community is connection.
As a long-standing establishment in the Cicero community, there is a responsibility to give back, not an unfamiliar concept of Brett and the 10 West family. Sarah appreciates the importance of mentors, not only within her career but how she can mentor others and give back to the community. Chef Holland participates in the Carmel High School Cheftacular, winning several years in a row. For each contest, Chef Holland and other area chefs are paired with students from the CHS Culinary Program and a randomly chosen ingredient. Working with the students, local chefs compete against one another to create a dish. The winning student earns a scholarship to culinary school. Not only have Sarah and her students won several times, but many of her students continue to work and learn alongside Chef Holland in the kitchen beyond the contest. “It is such a cool feeling to watch the students learn, grow, and gain confidence in themselves and their culinary talents.”
When not at 10 West, Sarah enjoys continuing her creativity in fiber arts. Every year she purchases a whole sheep fleece from Indiana wool shows, processes it, spins it into yarn, and dyes it naturally with native plants from her garden and then weaving, finding immense satisfaction in a masterpiece from start to finish…much like her cooking!
